HLB – The Easiest Way to Create An

Emulsion
by Kelly Dobos on 07/06/2009

As a cosmetic chemist you will undoubtedly be asked to make products that require you
to combine materials that aren’t easily compatible. Fortunately, there is a system that
can help you get started.

Cosmetic Emulsions

Emulsions are one of the most common forms of cosmetic products. You find them in
skin lotions, make-up, and even hair products. By definition an emulsion is a dispersion
of two or more immiscible materials, where one phase, also know as the internal phase, is
dispersed in the continuous or external phase. Cosmetic emulsions are classified as oil in
water (O/W), water in oil (W/O) and water in silicone (W/Si). Multiple emulsions such as
oil in water in oil (W/O/W) are also possible. Oil in water emulsions are the most
common due to preferable cost and light skin feel.

In order to create an oil in water emulsion (one that remains stable for a long enough
time), work must be done to overcome the interfacial tension between the two phases.
This can be achieved by mixing; however mixing even at very high rates is not enough to
provide long term stability. An emulsifier or combination of emulsifiers is needed to
stabilize droplets of the dispersed phase. For example, simple oil in vinegar salad
dressings will separate rapidly without the use of an emulsifier like mustard.

Using Surfactants

In this industry, we use surfactants to create emulsions. Surfactants are molecules that
have a hydrophobic (oil soluble) and an effective hydrophilic (water soluble) portion.
They act as emulsifiers by significantly lowering the interfacial tension and decreasing
the coalescence of dispersed droplets.

HLB Formulating

Figuring out what surfactant to use for any specific formula will be a challenge you face
as a cosmetic chemist. There is a great deal of research on surfactants and their behavior.
But studying the thermodynamic equations and phase diagrams associated with
surfactants can be a daunting task, not to mention the number of surfactants available to
the formulator is vast. Luckily for us, William C. Griffin developed a way to streamline
the selection of surfactants by utilizing the ratio of the hydrophobic to the hydrophilic
portion of the molecule. This method is referred to as the HLB (Hydrophile Lipophile
Balance) method. Griffin first presented this method at meeting of the Chicago Chapter
of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists in 1949 and it is still widely used today. He
published the method shortly there after.1 (A bit of trivia for you, the Chicago Chapter
was the first chapter formed in Society of Cosmetic Chemists)

The HLB method applies to nonionic (uncharged) surfactants but attempts have been
made to broaden the concepts to other surfactant types including silicone surfactants. And
using the HLB system to create emulsions is quite simple. All you have to do is calculate
the HLB number of your surfactant, then the Required HLB for the oil phase and match
the two numbers.

Determining the HLB of a surfactant

A typical nonionic emulsifier (e.g. Laureth-4) contains an ethylene oxide groups or

polyhydric alcohol hydrophilic portions with a fatty alcohol hydrophobic portion. The
HLB for a nonionic surfactant can be calculated as follows:

HLB = Weight % Hydrophile/5

Example 1: HLB calculation for Laureth-4

Molecular weight of ethoxylate portion = 176

Molecular weight of lauryl alcohol = 186

Wt. % Hydrophile = (176/(176+186)) x 100 = 48.6%

HLB = 48.6/5 = 9.7

Based on the calculation, surfactants with high HLB values will be more water soluble
and those with low HLB values are more oil soluble. Division by 5 just allows for a
compact, easy to use scale. The calculation is simple, but you won’t usually have to
figure it out since most surfactant HLB values are readily available through literature
references and surfactant suppliers.

Calculating HLB of oil phase

Each lipophilic ingredient in the oil phase has its own required HLB. These required
HLB values are determined experimentally, however a method utilizing solubility
parameters has been proposed by Vaughan and Rice.2 Required HLB values for some
common oil phase ingredients are available to the formulator in literature. The Req’d
HLB values are approximate and can vary by about ± 1 unit. It is also important to keep
in mind that cosmetic emulsions often have complex oil phases with several components.
The required HLB of an oil phase mixture can be calculated by first calculating the
percent of the oil phase each ingredient contributes. This percentage is then multiplied by
the required HLB for each of those ingredients and the results are summed.

Example 2: Calculation of required HLB for an oil phase mixture

The oil phase is 10% of the total formulation and consists of:

4% Shea butter, 40% of the oil phase. Req’d HLB of 8.

3% Jojoba oil, 30% of the oil phase. Req’d HLB of 6.5.

3% Sunflower seed oil, 30% of the oil phase. Req’d HLB of 7.

Total required HLB:

Shea butter contribution 0.4 x 8 = 3.20

Jojoba oil contribution 0.3 x 6.5 = 1.95

Sunflower oil contribution 0.3 x 7 = 2.10

Total Req’d HLB = 7.25

You can now select emulsifiers to match the required HLB of the oil phase and create an
emulsion. A blend of high and low HLB surfactants is often used to achieve the desired
value in part because of demonstrated effectiveness and efficiencies in packing at the
interface. The HLB for the surfactant blend is calculated in same manner as the required
HLB for a blend.

Example 3: Calculation of HLB for a surfactant mixture

The surfactant mixture is a 70/30 blend of Steareth-2 and Steareth-21.

Total HLB:

Steareth-2 contribution 0.7 x 4.9 = 3.43

Steareth-21 contribution 0.3x 15.5 = 4.65

Total HLB = 8.08

In order to match the HLB of a particular oil phase, it is easiest to set up a spreadsheet
with the calculation and vary the percentages of each emulsifier in increments of 5% to
find the right ratio.

Limitations of HLB

Although a very useful tool, the HLB system does have some limitations. For example
additional water phase ingredients are not considered but still may impact the stability.
The method also does not provide information as to how much surfactant is needed, but 2
to 4% surfactant is a good starting point to begin further optimization for stability. So it is
important to keep in mind that the HLB system is not absolute in prediction of your
formulations behavior, but a very good starting point for achieving emulsification.

References

1. Griffin WC; Calculation of HLB Values of Non-Ionic Surfactants, Journal of the

Society of Cosmetic Chemists; 1954. Vol. 5, pp 249-235

2. Vaughan, C.D. Rice, Dennis A.; Predicting O/W Emulsion Stability by the “Required
HLB Equation”; Journal of Dispersion Science and Technology; 1990. Vol. 11 (1), pp 83
– 91.

From: http://chemistscorner.com/hlb-the-easiest-way-to-create-an-emulsion/